Absolutely Horrible Lab Numbers !

[haidut]

Another variable is the night before drank about a pint of Vodka. Perhaps I should retest earlier in the day, and after a week of no alcohol.

I think you already sensed the issue, but I will only mention that if you drink a pint of vodka then (depending on your age) you will have significant (as in detectable on a breathalyzer) amount of alcohol in your system up to 24 hours later. If you are over 35, this timeframe extends to 48+ hours. As long as there is sufficient amount of alcohol in your system androgen levels will be low and cortisol/prolactin will be high. LDL will also be high. While LDL is not as sensitive enough to fluctuate a lot on a daily basis, drinking a pint of vodka (alcohol raises both LDL and HDL) can raise it temporarily by 20+ points.
So, yeah, needless to say doing blood work after a night of decent drinking is not a good idea.

A pint of Vodka is only 10 shots.

Um, yeah, more than enough to mess up steroidogenesis and depending on your age, health, and how fast you metabolize alcohol you could have been still legally "drunk" when you were doing the tests even if you did not feel that way.
Anyways, not criticizing, just letting you know that in this state the blood work is unreliable. My doctor will always ask pointedly if I had been having "more than a few" the 2-3 days before the test and if I say yes or hesitate he would get angry and send me back and ask to come back when I've been "dry" for at least 5 days.
One last thing - if you can do tests for cortisol, DHEA, and prolactin too as it can suggest why T is low. Just getting a test for T does not give much to work with.

 

[Captain_Coconut]

Isn't it N-acetyl cysteine that protects the liver if supplemented before (or maybe it was after)?

Yes NAC actually has real noticeable effect at preventing damage, I have demonstrated this to myself hundreds of times. Experimenting with coconut oil around drinking was always a mistake, the only oil around drinking I have benefitted from is olive oil.


I wonder how saturated fat with alcohol may magically protect the pancreas too? That would be paradoxical for sure.

Dietary Factors Reduce Risk of Acute Pancreatitis in a Large Multiethnic Cohort

 

[Captain_Coconut]

@Frankdee20

I think that focusing on improving insulin sensitivity is a great strategy for improving overall health.

Relationship Between Testosterone Levels, Insulin Sensitivity, and Mitochondrial Function in Men

 

[schultz]

Not sure if the researchers are intentionally doing this or are just that incompetent....

Hard to say lol... but it sure is annoying when you read that stuff and it's buried in the study and not in the abstract.

Edit: It has happened to me. I read an abstract and it says saturated fat did something and I think "Hmm that's a strange result, not something you'd expect" then when you're reading the study they mention they used lard.... why not just use freaking tallow or something?! Geez it's not that hard.

So all I need to do is take a tablespoon of coconut oil before I binge 6 shots of vodka, and I will have less risk of damaging my liver? Where are the human studies to support this?

I think being EFAD reverses some of the negative effects of alcohol. Someone on the forum should experiment with this. Become EFAD then become a drunk and let us know what happens.

 

[Peater Piper]

The liver seems to preferentially keep the saturated fatty acids, while it seems to avoid keeping the unsaturated. If saturated fatty acids are so toxic why 1) would the liver convert sugar into them and 2) would the liver preferentially hold onto them?

Is this really a matter of preference, or lack of micronutrients in the face of overnutrition? PUFAs are easier to burn, but the liver needs things like choline in order to export the saturated fats. I still think saturated fat is preferable to PUFA, but I don't think the liver retains either out of preference.

 

[Frankdee20]

@Frankdee20

I think that focusing on improving insulin sensitivity is a great strategy for improving overall health.

Relationship Between Testosterone Levels, Insulin Sensitivity, and Mitochondrial Function in Men

What can help increase insulin sensitivity ?

 

[baccheion]

What can help increase insulin sensitivity ?

Intermittent fasting, DHEA (+ pregnenolone), vitamin K2 MK-4..

 

[ecstatichamster]

Intermittent fasting, DHEA (+ pregnenolone), vitamin K2 MK-4..

Intermittent fasting causes insulin resistance.

 

[schultz]

What can help increase insulin sensitivity ?

Strength training might help.

 

[Captain_Coconut]

What can help increase insulin sensitivity ?

More exercise. Going super high carb low fat, or super high fat and low carb, we know which is peaty. Being sure you are getting proper amounts of electrolytes. Being sure you get enough choline or betaine, thiamine and other b vitamins (major if you drink a lot of alcohol). Possibly other trace minerals. Various things like berberine, apple cider vinegar, or bitter melon are worth a shot too.

Significant Beneficial Association of High Dietary Selenium Intake with Reduced Body Fat in the CODING Study

Higher Dietary Choline and Betaine Intakes Are Associated with Better Body Composition in the Adult Population of Newfoundland, Canada

 

[BigChad]

It's better to get a test first thing after waking up and before eating.

What's your estimated body fat percentage? More than 15% tends to result in increased aromatase activity, though estradiol seems fine.

Vitamin D insufficiency/deficiency can result in lowered testosterone. 50-100 IU/kg/day. 10 IU D3 : 2 mcg+ MK-4.

Just start taking a multivitamin, D + K, and (chelated/TRAACS) magnesium supplement. AOR Ortho-Core, Thorne 2/day, Life Extension Two-per-day, Life Extension Mix (+ Once-daily Health Booster), etc.

Fix any nutrient deficiencies.

If those don't work, try applying iodine or vitamin K2 MK-4 to/around the scrotum.

Niacin lowers cholesterol.

What was free testosterone and estrogen when total T was higher?

Doesnt that life extension mix multivitamin and once daily booster have a ton of harmful ingredients. I used to use them and took them out after what ive read on here. It has beta carotene, carotenoids, green tea and all kinds of stuff.
Doesnt niacin lower thyroid hormones as well

 

[baccheion]

Doesnt that life extension mix multivitamin and once daily booster have a ton of harmful ingredients. I used to use them and took them out after what ive read on here. It has beta carotene, carotenoids, green tea and all kinds of stuff.
Doesnt niacin lower thyroid hormones as well

Depends on your perspective. You'd probably like Thorne 2/day best, but I suppose it also has beta-carotene.

 

[BigChad]

Depends on your perspective. You'd probably like Thorne 2/day best, but I suppose it also has beta-carotene.

You know how the life extension mix has a 12 capsule serving size. What if you just took 1 capsule a day for the b vitamins and 3mg zinc. My main concerns are the 30mg green tea extract, 1mg lutein, broccoli extract and NAC in it. Im not sure if those dosages would be small enough to where some vitamin e or other vitamin would negate their effects.

 

[baccheion]

You know how the life extension mix has a 12 capsule serving size. What if you just took 1 capsule a day for the b vitamins and 3mg zinc. My main concerns are the 30mg green tea extract, 1mg lutein, broccoli extract and NAC in it. Im not sure if those dosages would be small enough to where some vitamin e or other vitamin would negate their effects.

My assumption is AOR Ortho-Core, for example, only included minimum doses. That is, not enough to matter. For example, at 2 mg astaxanthin is unlikely to relevantly affect 5-alpha reductase 2.

You'd have to find a multivitamin that works well for you or take each vitamin/mineral separately.